Love and Trust
by TheGirlOnFire7
Summary: Chloe and Derek just can't get a break. Their relationship is continuously being tested, but will these obstacles make them closer or tear them apart? Read and find out! Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Darkest Powers. Sadly**

** So I wrote this story because I really wanted to write a Darkest Powers fanfic about Chloe and Derek. I probably should not have written this because I have homework to do, but whatever. Read and review! Pretty please with sugar on top! **

I sighed again, frustrated, and stared at the textbook in my lap. The stupid textbook that was giving me a headache.

"I don't get it!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. There was a sigh next to me. His shadow splayed across the pages. I looked up at his emerald green eyes.

"What aren't you understanding, Chloe?" Derek asked, trying to be patient. But I could hear the annoyance laced through his voice.

"Any of it. Why do I even have to do this? It's not like we're going to school." I complained. Derek pinched the bridge of his nose before looking back at me.

"Because you don't want to be-" He was cut off by a loud scream coming from downstairs. I must have jumped about two feet in the air, knocking the book onto the floor. The scream sounded feminine. It was probably Tori. Derek and I hurried downstairs into the kitchen. The first thing I saw was Tori on the ground, laughing. Then I noticed Simon crouched by the counter, his expression a mixture of mortification and anger. I frowned, confused.

"What did you do to Simon, Tori?" Derek asked. Tori took a few deep breaths before answering, catching her breath.

"Well I was bored, and I didn't want to interrupt anything you two might be doing," She replied, making me blush a bright red, "so I found a mouse in the basement and made it float around Simon's head. I didn't realize he would be such a girl about it." Simon glared at Tori.

"You are so twisted." Simon snapped, taking a few steps toward Tori. Derek sighed.

"You wouldn't hit a girl, would you Simon?" Tori smirked. Simon continued advancing on her. Derek grunted and walked over to Simon, grabbing his arm.

"Calm down. She's just being immature. There's no need for you to act the same way." Derek told him calmly. Simon looked up at him and nodded, immediately relaxing.

Suddenly, Derek stiffened and turned toward me, alarm clear on his face. Before I could react, there was a knife pressing against my throat. Someone pulled me against them, making me stumble. I whimpered quietly when the blade pierced my skin. I heard a low growl and it took me a moment to realize that it was coming from Derek. The person behind me laughed darkly.

"Quiet, pup. I'm not planning on hurting your mate." I froze at the word 'mate'. What was he talking about? I remembered being called his mate before, but I still didn't know what it meant. But he continued before I had time to think too much about it, "I actually came for you." He nodded at Derek. I automatically shook my head, wincing when my skin rubbed against the knife.

"Y-you can't ha-have h-him." I stuttered. I pressed my lips together tightly and clenched my fists. Stupid stutter. The man behind me chuckled and flipped me around so that I was facing him. He held my chin tightly in his hand, his other hand still holding the knife at my throat.

"You think you have a say in that, little girl? You can't even talk right, why should you have any say?" He sneered at me. I'm not sure what came over me then, but I spit in his face. He shrank back a little, surprised. But his face quickly twisted with rage.

"Stupid girl. You shouldn't have done that." He snarled, pulling the knife away from my throat and dragging it down my arm, drawing blood. I bit my lip, trying to hold back the cry of pain, but a strangled sound still came out of my mouth. I heard another snarl, this one sounding more vicious. I looked over and saw Derek grab the man's arm, twisting it behind him. The man shoved me back, and I stumbled. I tripped over my feet and fell backwards. My head slammed into the floor, and the world went black.

I opened my eyes cautiously, aware of a horrible pain in my head and a throbbing pain in my arm. I blinked and sat up slowly, trying to figure out where I was. Nothing was familiar; not the tan walls, not the uncomfortable bed I was laying on, and not the chairs in the corner. I stood up and stumbled, holding a hand to my head and praying the world would stay still.

After a minute the floor stopped moving, and I took another step toward the door. I took another step and another until I reached the door. I twisted the knob. It was unlocked, thankfully. But I closed it quickly, afraid that someone would see me and try to hurt me. I needed to figure out what I was going to do before I tried walking out of the room.

"Hey, cutie." A masculine voice said behind me. I jumped and whirled around. I didn't see anyone. I frowned. I didn't want another visit from a ghost. But maybe he could tell me where I was.

"Do y-you know where I-I am?" I asked. Suddenly I felt cold breath on my neck. I stiffened, but didn't turn.

"You're alone. With me." His voice was leering. I shivered involuntarily before clenching my jaw and turning around. The ghost was standing a few feet away from me. He had light blonde hair and violet eyes. He smirked at me.

"The name's Jack." He told me. I just stared at him. Why was he here? I opened my mouth to ask, but he shook his head and pointed to the door. I heard footsteps coming closer. I froze, unsure of what to do. Jack rolled his eyes and disappeared. Suddenly there was a noise coming from outside the door. The footsteps hurried away. I let out a sigh of relief. Jack suddenly reappeared in front of me.

"Did you d-do that?" I nodded at the door. He smiled and nodded, pretending to bow. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"So did you d-die h-here?" I continued. He shook his head, snorting.

"I'm perfectly alive. It's called astral projecting. I'm actually down the hall a little ways." He replied. My eyes widened.

"So y-you live here?" I asked. He shrugged, glancing at the bed I had been laying on before.

"It's more of I'm surviving here. This place sucks." He mumbled. I frowned glancing at the door.

"Then why don't you leave?" He gave me a look as if to say 'did you really just ask that?'

"You don't think I've tried. It's not like I can just walk out the front door. I-" He paused, his eyes widening a bit, "Oh, I've got to go. They're about to check on you. Get back in bed and pretend you're unconscious." He ordered before disappearing. Although I was very confused, I did as he said.

I had just closed my eyes when the door opened. Two pairs of footsteps walked in. I refrained from opening my eyes or moving. One of them sighed.

"She should have woken up by now. It's been 24 hours already." One of them said. He didn't sound at all familiar. I felt a pressure on my wrist as one of them took my pulse. I fought to keep still and not yank my arm away.

"She'll wake up soon enough. Then we'll get her to tell us where that failure of a werewolf is." The other one replied. This one was a woman. I tensed involuntarily. But I was angry at them. Derek was not a failure. They both laughed.

"She really is his mate. She's not even conscious and she reacts to his name." The man said. There was that word again: mate. I was going to ask Derek about that. After I found him.

"Well, she's not going to wake up just because we're in here. Let's go, and we can check on her later." The woman sighed. After a moment, the footsteps retreated out of the room, shutting the door with a click. I kept my eyes closed just in case.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked. I jumped, opening my eyes. He was leaning over me, smirking.

"Would you move?" I asked. He nodded and moved away, allowing me to stand up. He leaned against the wall.

"What's your name, anyway? You already know mine, but I was interrupted before I could ask you." He crossed his arms across his chest. I glanced at him, deciding whether to tell him or not. For some reason I wasn't sure of, I trusted him enough to tell him.

"My name's Chloe. I'm a necromancer." I told him. He nodded, smiling. He glanced around the room, his eyes pausing at the door.

"So do you have any ideas as to how to get out of here? 'Cause I'm sure you're not wanting to stay here." I bit my lip, thinking. Suddenly, I looked up at him.

"We could distract them and then escape. You know your way around here right?" I asked. He nodded slowly, skeptical.

"I can't distract them and escape. When I leave my body, it doesn't just walk around. It stays where I leave it. And I'm not going to just stay here while you escape. Sorry." He replied. I nodded.

"I wasn't thinking of using you as the distraction. I was going to have Liz make a distraction." I told him. He frowned.

"Who's Liz?" Oh. I had forgotten that he didn't know anything about me. I held up a finger, telling him to wait a moment for my answer. I closed my eyes and concentrated on summoning Liz.

"Ooh! Who's that? He's cute." Liz squealed. I opened my eyes and saw her staring at Jack, who was still looking at me. I glanced at Liz before looking back at Jack.

"Liz is my friend. She's a ghost. I knew her before she…" I trailed off. Jack's eyes widened and he nodded, looking around. I looked at Liz.

"His name is Jack. But more to the point, could you help me with something?" I asked her. She nodded, still slyly glancing at Jack. I rolled my eyes before continuing, "Could you make a distraction so that Jack and I could escape?"

"Of course, Chloe. Where are you, anyways?" She looked around, mouth curling in distaste at the bed. I glanced at Jack, who looked bewildered.

"I'm not really sure. But I know that I need to get out of here." I replied. She nodded slowly, taking another look around.

"Ok. Be ready in two minutes, and I'll lure everyone away." She smiled and disappeared. I nodded and looked at Jack.

"We're leaving. Be ready in two minutes." I told him. He smiled and nodded. He waved and disappeared. I sighed, sitting down on the bed. My head was still pounding, possibly hurting more than before. I rubbed my temples and waited for Liz.

"Ok, I'm ready to go. Go get Jack and leave." Liz's voice whispered next to me. I nodded and stood up, hurrying to the door. I opened it quietly and walked down the hall. Jack was leaning against a doorway, his arms crossed across his chest. He smiled at me when I walked up. I motioned him ahead of me, signaling him to lead the way. He nodded and began walking quickly, with me following close behind.

Jack led me down a hallway and up two flights of stairs. I heard lots of yelling upstairs. I made out the words "hair is on fire" and smiled. Liz did well. Jack and I quietly walked through what looked like a kitchen to a door. There was a padlock on it. My heart stuttered and my breath caught in my throat. We were locked in. We had done this for nothing. Jack rummaged through one of the drawers. Suddenly I heard footsteps on the stairs. They were faint, but I heard them all the same. Someone was coming downstairs and they were going to find us.

I heard a quiet click and looked over to see Jack putting the padlock on the counter and opening the door. I smiled and ran out the door. Jack followed behind me closely. It was getting dark outside, around sunset. We ran across the yard and down the street. After a few blocks we stopped, mostly because I had to stop to breathe. Luckily no one had followed us.

I pushed the hair out of my face and looked at Jack. He barely looked winded. I looked back in the direction we had come. Still no sign of anyone.

"Th-that was c-close." I stuttered, still a little freaked out. Jack looked at me, cocking his head to the side.

"Why do you stutter sometimes and talk normally other times?" He asked. Not even a second later, he pinched his arm, glaring at the ground. He looked back up at me and said, "Sorry, that was rude and inconsiderate. Forget I asked that."

"It's fine. I usually only s-stutter when I' m nervous or scared." I told him. He nodded and smiled a little.

"You weren't stuttering when you were talking to me. So does that mean you aren't nervous or scared around me?" He smirked. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to reply when I realized he was right.

"That's weird. I don't even know you and I'm not nervous." I mumbled, both to him and myself. He smiled, almost as if proud of himself. Then he looked around again before looking at me.

"So where are we going now, Chloe?" Jack asked me. I shrugged. Suddenly I heard a growl behind me. I whirled around. Derek was standing a few feet away, glaring at Jack. I smiled despite the situation, running over to Derek and throwing my arms tight around him. He took a moment to hug me tightly, but quickly moved me behind him, as if to protect me from Jack. Jack was just standing there, completely confused and seeming rather frightened of Derek. Jack looked over at me.

"Chloe, what's going on?" He asked me. I was stuck standing there with Jack looking at me confused and Derek looking at me with a worried and hurt expression on his face. I wasn't sure of what to say.

**Yay! Finished the chapter, and now I can go do homework. There will be a chapter after this, unless no one reviews. Then all of you that read it and didn't review will be left wondering what happens next. So please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Me no own. Me also speak like caveman -_-**

** 2****nd**** CHAPTER IS UP! HOORAY! I'm still avoiding homework. Not so much hooray for that, but whatever. I would like to say thank you to everyone that reviewed. It makes me happy . Hope you like the chapter.**

"Um…D-Derek, t-this is J-Jack. H-he helped m-me escape." I told Derek. He frowned, looking back at Jack. Derek took my hand and started to back away from Jack, making sure to keep his eyes on him.

"We're leaving now. Don't follow us." He warned Jack. Jack frowned and looked at me, looking a little betrayed. I tried to step around Derek to Jack, but Derek kept me back.

"Derek, w-we can't j-just l-leave him." I stuttered. Derek growled instead of replying. Suddenly he looked over to the direction we had just come, his eyes narrowed. My stomach twisted and my throat closed up. They had figured out we had escaped.

"Fine. But if I even think you're going to hurt Chloe, you're gone." Derek said quietly. I smiled at him despite the fear that was overtaking my body. Derek led Jack and I down the street quickly. Eventually we walked up to Kit's van. I looked around, waiting for Kit, Simon, and Tori to come out from somewhere. But no one was around. I glanced back at Jack, who was following me close behind, before gazing back at Derek.

"Where are they?" I asked him quietly. He didn't reply, giving me a strange look. It was a mix of frustration, anger, and guilt. I frowned.

"Where's Kit? This is h-his van. And w-where are Simon and Tori?" I pressed, my voice gradually rising. Derek sighed and mumbled something under his breath. He opened the door for me, but I didn't move.

"D-did you tell them that you were c-coming here?" I struggled to keep my voice calm. Derek looked away.

"They know now." He replied. For some reason I was suddenly furious. Like the vision going red kind of furious.

"You just stole the van and _left_? What were you thinking, doing something so incredibly stupid?" I hissed, pushing on Derek's chest. He didn't move, only glancing at the ground for a moment before glaring at me.

"If you hadn't of gotten yourself in trouble like you always do, I wouldn't have had to come save you." He shot back, teeth clenched. Not even realizing what I was doing, I slapped Derek across the face. I heard his sudden intake of breath, but otherwise he didn't react.

"I was doing just _fine_. I didn't need you to come save me. I'm not helpless." I nearly growled. Suddenly, the horrible rage drained away, just as quickly as it had come. I was still pissed off, but I didn't want to kill Derek anymore. I stumbled back, shaking my head.

"Let's just go." I sighed, exhausted. Derek was tense, and his mouth was set in an angry line. But he nodded all the same and walked over to the driver's side and got in, slamming the door. I looked back at Jack, who looked a little frightened.

"I'm sorry about that. Let's go." I tried to smile at him and held out my hand. He nodded slowly and took my hand, glancing cautiously at Derek. I closed the passenger door, instead climbing in the back and sitting next to Jack. Derek turned on the engine and started driving, anger rolling off of him in waves.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. I was already getting a massive headache. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but glanced at Derek and decided against it. He gently took my hand and squeezed it comfortingly. Derek growled from the front seat, making me jump. I sighed again and bit back a retort as I scooted away from Jack. As immature as Derek was being, I really didn't want to make him angrier than he was.

I laid down and closed my eyes, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up slowly. I was aware of my surroundings and I could hear everything, but I stayed still, with my eyes closed. Someone was stroking my hair, but I knew instantly that it wasn't Derek.

"Stop that." I heard Derek order. The hand stroking my hair paused. The person removed their hand after a moment and sighed.

"You don't get to do that, you know." It was Jack who had been stroking my hair. I wasn't nearly as freaked out about that as I should have been.

"Do what?" Derek asked, confused. He wasn't the only one; I had no idea what Jack was talking about.

"You can't just be such an ass to her and then turn around and act like you own her. What gives you the right?" I almost frowned, stopping myself just in time. Derek didn't act like he owned me.

"I have the right because-" Derek broke off. I tensed involuntarily. I was frustrated. Why couldn't he just say why he acted that way?

"Chloe, I know you're awake." Derek mumbled. I sighed, opening my eyes slowly. Jack was looking down at me curiously, and Derek was staring at me through the rearview mirror. I sat up and looked at Derek.

"Where are we?" I asked. He answered me by stopping the van and turning of the engine. Jack tensed and frowned, glancing around. I understood immediately.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure you're safe." I told him. He chuckled and rolled his eyes, seeming suddenly confident.

"I'll be fine, Chloe. Everyone loves me. Except for him, of course." Jack smirked motioning to Derek. Derek rolled his eyes and opened the door, getting out of the van. I sighed and moved toward the door, Jack following closely. Before I could open the door, though, it swung open. I was pulled out of the van into a tight hug.

Simon set me down on the ground. I smiled up at him, noticing that Tori was standing a few feet away, struggling to keep the huge relieved smile off her face

"I am so glad you're safe." Simon smiled. Tori mumbled her agreement, trying to keep her calm. Suddenly any trace of relief flew from their faces, replaced by suspicion. They were staring at Jack. I took a step toward him, seeing Derek leaning against the van out of the corner of my eye.

"Th-this is Jack. He h-helped me escape." I told them. They frowned and kept their tense stances. I sighed.

"Guys. H-he's a frien-"

"Derek!" Kit's angry voice cut me off. Every one of us simultaneously turned our heads in the direction of Kit's voice. He was walking down the stairs of a large Victorian house I hadn't noticed before. His expression was full of rage and worry. Derek stiffened and took a step toward his father. Kit stormed up to Derek, stopping a few feet away and crossing his arms tightly across his chest. He opened his mouth, ready to scold Derek for being so reckless.

"Don't blame him, Kit. He was just trying to help me." I interrupted him. Kit glanced over at me, his mouth in a tense line. Derek gave me a weird look.

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do when it comes to my son. And I didn't forget why Derek left in the first place, Chloe." Kit snapped. I shrank back a little frowning. Derek growled, making both Kit and I jump a little.

"None of this is Chloe's fault, dad. Don't turn this on her." Derek warned. Kit glanced from me to Derek and back again, a speculative look on his face. Suddenly he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jack cleared his throat, uncomfortable. Kit looked over at him warily.

"He's a friend." I told Kit. He nodded tensely and motioned for Jack to come over. Jack took a cautious step in his direction.

"I'm just going to show you around and ask you some questions." Kit promised him. Jack looked at me, questioning. I nodded and tried to give him a reassuring smile. Finally he shrugged and followed Kit back inside the house. Simon followed close behind them, giving me another smile. Tori walked over to me and quickly hugged me.

"I'm glad you're back. I wouldn't be able to survive another day with them." She said. I smiled at her.

"I missed you too, Tori." She shrugged, smirking. She began walking toward the house, glancing at Derek.

"Make sure you don't eat him alive, Tori." Derek called, a barely there smirk on his face. Tori rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll let you do that, wolf boy." She shot back. Derek huffed and glared at her. She rolled her eyes and walked into the house. That just left me and Derek standing about ten feet away from each other. I wanted to tell him something, to explain. But before I could say anything, he beat me to it.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. I paused, not sure I had heard him right. Had he just apologized to me? I stared hard at him, trying to understand.

** Ok, so if any of you are like "no, Kit isn't mean like that, why are you making him so mean?" I promise I will explain his rude behavior in the next chapter. Please review, and then have yourself one of my fresh made invisible cookies **


	3. Chapter 3

**Jack: Who do you think you are, messing with Chloe and Derek and all the characters? You don't own Darkest Powers.**

**Me: Yeah, but I do own you.**

**Jack: -_-**

**Ok, I apologize. I told you a lie at the end of the last chapter. I don't explain Kit's behavior in this chapter. But I promise I will explain it in the next one. I have personally punished myself for breaking my promise by not eating chocolate for two whole days. I love chocolate, and it's sitting in my kitchen, taunting me. But I will stay strong and not eat it as consequence for my lie. So this is the third chapter. Hope you like it. **

"You're sorry?" I asked, completely confused. He clenched his jaw and nodded, not looking at me.

"But why? I mean, I know you were being a jerk, but I'm used to it." He flinched, and I shook my head, realizing my wording was too harsh.

'"That d-didn't come out right. I j-just mean that you don't n-need to apologize. I understand why y-you did it." I told him. He frowned and shook his head.

"You shouldn't have to just get over me being a jerk." His gaze flitted to my face before looking away again. I shrugged.

"I-"

"Chloe!" Jack's voice called behind me. I jumped and turned around. He smiled brightly at me, his face only falling a little when he noticed Derek behind me. I waved at him and turned back to Derek. He was glaring at Jack. I frowned.

"Please try to be nice." I mumbled. He glanced at me and didn't reply. I sighed and looked back at Jack, who was walking toward us with a bounce in his step.

"So do you realize that tomorrow will be the first time ever that I have celebrated Thanksgiving?" He asked excitedly. I paused, having not even realized that it was the day before Thanksgiving. But a smile quickly lit up my face.

"Kit's actually going to let us celebrate it? I didn't know he could cook." I glanced behind Jack at the house. Derek snorted.

"No, dad can't cook. Mary will probably be doing all the cooking. Although it is a little surprising that he would let us do anything special." Derek murmured behind me. I looked back at him.

"Who's Mary?" I asked. Derek pointed at the house.

"She's the one who owns this safe house. I forgot that you haven't met anyone. Come on, we'll finish our conversation later." Derek said, holding his hand out to me. I nodded and took his hand. I looked over at Jack. He winked at me and followed us inside.

The inside was huge, with high ceilings and decorative walls. Simon was waiting for us in the front hallway. He smiled at me, motioning for us to follow him.

"I got everyone to gather in the living room for introductions." Simon told us over his shoulder. I nodded and felt a small twist of anxiety. I realized that I was nervous to meet the other people in the house. We walked down a hallway that opened up into a large room with a glass chandelier, decorative furnishings, and seven people in it. The only faces I recognized were Kit and Tori. A middle aged woman with short blonde hair stood up with a smile on her face. Her hazel eyes were warm and kind.

"Hi. You must be Jack and Chloe. I'm very glad that you're here. My name is Mary and I'm a shaman. I own this house." She said to us, looking from Jack to me. I smiled back at her. The boy sitting next to her slowly stood up and glanced around the room once before settling his gaze on me.

"Um, hi. My name's Chase. I'm 16, and Mary's my mom- I was adopted, of course. Oh, and I'm a werewolf." My eyes widened a little when he mentioned that he was a werewolf. I glanced at Derek, who was glaring at Chase. Chase had curly brown hair and dark blue eyes. He seemed nice, although he kept staring at me.

"Chase, stop trying to rape the girl with your eyes." The girl next to him snorted. Chase glared at her and sat down. Derek's grip tightened around my hand. The girl stood up and smirked at us.

"I'm Allison. I'm 16 years old, and I'm a witch." She told us. She had bleach blonde hair that was up in a ponytail and grayish blue eyes. I smiled cautiously at her, a little unsure if we were going to get along. She sat down and looked over at a boy with bright red hair and green eyes. He stood up bouncing on his heels.

"My name's Max and I'm a velociraptor." He smiled and moved his hands in a clawing motion. The girl next to him rolled her eyes and lightly smacked the back of his head. Max sighed and looked back at her.

"Fine. I'm Max, I'm 14 years old, and I'm a Volo half demon. Oh, and that stick in the mud is my sister." Max told us, pointing behind him at the girl. The smile on my face was real this time. I found it hard not to like Max already.

"And I am Macy. I'm 15, and I'm a necromancer. Max has already informed you that I am his brother." Their resemblance was obvious. She had coppery red hair that framed her face and dark green eyes.

"So we've told you what we are. Why don't you enlighten us about yourselves?" Allison mused. I nodded slightly and looked at Jack. He sighed.

"I guess I'll go first. I'm Jack, although you already seem to know that. I'm 16 years old, and I'm a shaman." Jack said. He glanced at Macy, who blushed and looked away. I bit back a smile. Then I realized that everyone was staring at me, waiting for me to introduce myself. Nerves jumped around in my stomach.

"Hi, m-my name is Chloe. I'm 15 y-years old, a-and I'm a n-necromancer." I said quietly, silently cursing my stutter. Allison smirked and cocked her head.

"Little necro has a stutter, does she?" She teased. I frowned and glanced down at my feet, my face flaming with embarrassment. Derek growled and took a step forward. I shook my head and held him back. Allison laughed and glanced at Derek.

"That's cute. You even have a bodyguard. Guess you can't protect yourself, can you?" Allison sneered. I bit my lip and kept myself from showing that her statement stung.

"Allison! There is no need for such disrespect. Go upstairs and get ready for dinner, and I will be up in a few minutes to have a chat with you." Mary scolded. Allison sighed and rolled her eyes, walking out of the room. Mary stood up and clapped her hands together.

"On that note, why don't we all get ready for dinner. Macy, please show Chloe to her room." Mary said. Macy nodded and smiled at me. Kit and Mary walked out, talking quietly about something. Max ran out of the room, squealing and giggling. Macy sighed and glanced between me and the doorway.

"I'll get him. C'mon Tori, I might need some help." Simon said. Tori sighed and nodded, reluctantly following Simon through the doorway.

"I'm sorry about Allison, Chloe. If you ever need comforting, my door is always open." Chase smiled. I nodded slowly, deciding whether or not to be a little creeped out by his offer. Derek didn't seem to like it at all. He stepped in front of my, a low growl coming from the back of his throat.

"Are you stupid? Or are you just forgetting about me?" Derek asked angrily. I looked from him to Chase and back again, confused. Chase only smirked.

"You haven't staked your claim on her yet. I bet she doesn't even know about mates." Chase shot back. I frowned, becoming even more confused. What were they talking about? 

"You still have no right, pup." Derek's voice almost scared me because it was so threatening. I looked to Macy and Jack for understanding, but they looked as clueless as me.

"Until you officially claim her, I see no reason why I can't. She isn't yours yet." Chase spit. Finally I had enough. I stepped between them and glared at Derek. I took a deep breath.

"What are you talking about? Mates?" I asked, grateful that my stutter did not make an appearance.

**I know, it's a cliffhanger. But I'll update as soon as I can. As long as I get reviews, that is. And I would say that after you review to have one of my fresh invisible chocolate chip cookies, but I would be tempting myself with chocolate. So I just have sugar cookies. But you can enjoy those too. So please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Darkest Powers. *runs off and cries in a corner* **

**Haha so yay! Another chapter is now up! But school has started again, so that isn't so 'yay'. But whatever. Random fact of the day: The plural form of mongoose is actually mongooses. I looked it up after having a discussion about it today with my friend. Anyway hope you like this chapter. **

Derek glared at Chase for a moment before looking at me. His expression was guarded. He didn't say anything. For some reason, this brought tears to my eyes. His silence hurt me. Did he not trust me or something?

"N-never mind. I-I'll just g-go." I struggled not to start sobbing right there. I nearly ran out of the room and down the hallway we had come from. I didn't know my way around the house, so I just headed toward the front door. I didn't bother trying to hold back my tears.

I had just made it to the front door when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whirled around. It was Derek. There was a pained expression on his face. I choked back a sob and stared down at my feet.

"W-what do y-you want?" I asked, still looking at my feet. His hand slid under my chin and he made me look up. I averted my gaze, looking behind him.

"Look at me Chloe. Please." I almost thought I heard his voice crack a little at the end. I took a shaky breath and met his gaze. His stare was intense.

"Why w-won't you tell m-me anything?" His answer was too quiet for me to understand. I continued to wait for him to tell me something. Anything. He sighed.

"I want to, Chloe. I'm just…scared. Of how you'll react." Derek mumbled. I frowned. What could possibly make him scared to tell me?

"J-just tell me, Derek." His reaction made me hope that he really would tell me. But then he glanced behind him, not saying anything. Suddenly he took my hand and began leading me back down the hallway. We passed Macy, Jack, and Chase on the way to wherever we were going. Macy glanced warily from me to Derek and back again. She silently asked me if everything was ok. I nodded slowly, unsure of the answer. Chase, however, stepped in front of Derek. Derek stiffened and growled. Jack watched me carefully.

"Dude, you can't just treat your mate like this. You have no right to-"

"Shut up before I punch you in the face." Derek spit. Chase glared at Derek, but stepped out of his way. I tried to give them a reassuring smile. Derek led me past him and up a large staircase. He walked us down another hallway, but stopped at one of the doors. He opened the door and motioned for me to go in. I cautiously walked in after a moment of hesitation. He followed me in and closed the door behind him. I looked around and realized we were in a bedroom. There were two twin sized beds on opposite sides of the room, one of them very neat and the other messy. I guessed that it was Derek and Simon's room. I turned to face Derek.

"Ok, promise you'll hear me out before you run away." Derek said quietly. I cocked my head to the side confused. But I nodded anyway. He took a deep breath and leaned against the door for a moment.

"So you know how wolves have mates? Someone that they take care of and love for their entire lives and they can't ever be with any other wolf?" He asked. I nodded slowly, not completely understanding where he was going. Although I had a good idea.

"Well, it's the same for werewolves." Derek continued. I nodded again, connecting the dots in my head.

"And I'm y-your mate?" I asked. His nod was stiff, and he wouldn't meet my gaze. I paused to think it over in my head. How _did_ I feel about being Derek's mate? I knew I loved Derek, and it's not like I planned on being with anyone else. I may not have been accustomed to the idea of mates, but I saw nothing wrong with it.

"That's why you've been acting so weird?" He finally looked into my eyes for a moment before nodding and looking away again.

"And why you've been acting like a jerk? You're just being overprotective?" I pressed. He sighed and nodded. I felt the satisfaction of knowing the reason of his behavior. I smiled.

"So do you accept it? Being my m-mate, I mean." My eyes widened a little at his stutter. He looked so nervous, like he really didn't know how much I loved him.

"Of course, Derek. I love you, and I'm just confused as to why you didn't tell me earlier." I told him, my voice sure. He jumped a little, almost like he was shocked about my answer.

"I love you too, Chloe. I just figured that you would run away screaming from the idea of being my mate. Especially with the way I treat you sometimes." Derek's voice was full of awe.

"Derek, when you love someone, you love all of them. Including their flaws. One of yours just happens to be that you're overprotective." I assured him. A small smile graced his face and he looked at me.

"So you're not freaked out by me?" He asked. I shook my head and smiled at him. Before I realized what was happening, Derek had crossed the room to me. His lips pressed against mine, taking my breath away. I forgot the world around us; it was only Derek and me. In the back of my mind, a little voice taunted me about the cliché situation I was in. Boy kisses girl, girl goes weak in the knees because of it. But I ignored the voice and wrapped my arms around Derek's neck.

I absently realized that we were alone, in a _bedroom_. Derek pressed himself close against me, running his hands up and down my back. I shivered involuntarily at the feeling.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I jumped, making Derek chuckle. But he didn't let me go.

"Hey, Chloe? Macy still needs to show you were your room is." Simon said from outside the door. Derek grunted and dropped his arms, taking my hand instead. I walked to the door and opened it. Simon was standing outside, with Macy a few feet behind him. I smiled apologetically at her.

"Sorry about that. But I'd love it if you could show me my room now." She nodded and glanced at Derek, an unsure expression on her face. But when her gaze flickered to my hand in Derek's, she smiled.

"Um, bro, you wanna come help me set the table?" Simon asked. My hand tightened involuntarily around his, but I quickly realized that would make me seem super possessive. I loosened my grip and pulled my hand out of his.

"Go on. I'll be fine." I murmured. He glanced from me to Simon and back again. Finally he sighed and nodded.

"I'll catch up with you in a little while." He told me, giving me a quick kiss. I smiled and nodded. Derek began walking away, but paused looking back down the hallway. I followed his gaze and saw Kit walking towards us. His eyes were tight.

"I'm glad I found you; especially Chloe and Derek. I need to tell you something." Kit said ominously.

"What is it, dad?" Derek asked quietly.

"First I want to apologize for how I acted earlier when you two got here. I know it's no excuse, but I was stressed with trying to keep all you safe and I was freaking out that Derek had put himself in danger. And of course I was also worried about you, Chloe." Kit apologized. I nodded, understanding.

"It's perfectly fine, Kit." I assured him. He nodded and smiled at me for a moment before pursing his lips.

"There's something else I need to tell you. Your Aunt Lauren called. She wants to take you away with her." He told us. I frowned and shook my head. She couldn't come and take me away. She had left a little after we had gotten away from the Edison Group, saying it was better for both of us. She had no right to come back and pretend that she had a say as to where I was going to go.

**It's another cliffhanger, which I apologize for, but I seem to keep doing that. I'll try not to next chapter. So please review, and then you can enjoy a yummy cupcake. They have rainbow sprinkles **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers. But guess what I do own? My dog **

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! How exciting that I got a new chapter up on January 1****st**** Anyway, here it is and I hope you like it! **

"I-is she coming h-here?" I asked Kit. He pursed his lips and nodded, glancing from me to Derek and back.

"I can't really keep you from her. She has more claim over you than I do." Kit explained. Derek growled, stepping closer to me.

"She can't just take Chloe away. I won't let her." Derek's voice was low and threatening. Kit frowned at Derek.

"I understand that you don't want Chloe to leave, but you can't just keep her hidden away." Kit said slowly.

"Dammit! I don't care what her aunt wants, she isn't taking Chloe away." Derek snarled. I opened my mouth to say something, but Simon beat me to it.

"Derek, calm down. Let's talk later after Chloe get's settled in." Derek nodded stiffly to Simon's suggestion. I relaxed a little, glad that Derek was calming down. Kit shook his head to argue, but Simon stopped him with an angry look.

"Dad. Let everyone calm down." Simon said forcefully. Kit sighed and glanced at Derek sternly again before walking away. I smiled slightly at Macy.

"Sorry. Do you want to show me my room now?" I asked. She smiled back at me and nodded. She held out her hand, and I took it, glancing at Derek. His eyes followed me as I walked down the hall.

"So how did the Edison Group mess you up?" She asked. If it wasn't for the kind tone of her voice, I might have taken some offense to her question about them 'messing me up'.

"They enhanced my powers. A lot. I raise things when I don't realize I'm doing it." I explained, grimacing. She frowned and nodded.

"It's pretty much the opposite for me. They tried giving me some witch powers or something, but they ended up just diluting my powers. I can barely communicate with ghosts." Her voice sounded a little wistful.

"Trust me. It's not a fun power for me. I'd prefer it if my powers weren't so strong." I told her. She bit her lip and nodded.

"Yeah. I guess so. Well, here's your room." She said and opened a door to reveal a room with two twin beds on opposite sides of the room. There was a bathroom on one side and a closet on the other. On one side of the room, the bed was unmade and there were shoes lining the wall next to it. I automatically knew this was where Tori was sleeping. On the other side of the room was my bag. A smile lit up my face and I ran over to it, hugging it to my chest. I noticed Macy was looking at me like I was crazy.

"I have been wearing these clothes too long for my taste. I may not be Tori, but I do like my clothes." I smiled. She laughed and nodded, walking back out the door.

"I'll let you get cleaned up then. Just come downstairs when you're ready." Macy told me. I nodded, waiting until she shut the door, to start rifling through my bag. I frowned at the clothes that were inside. Tori must have packed it. I just wanted some sweatpants and a comfy t-shirt. Instead I grabbed a pair of short shorts and a tank top and walked into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and grimaced, not really liking how I looked. I wasn't even sure how to fix the mess that was my hair. I had dyed it reddish brown a few weeks ago, sick of the awful black color. Now it looked like a bird's nest. I tried to brush through it, but there were too many knots.

"I guess I'll be taking a shower then." I mumbled to myself.

I started walking down the stairs, my hair still wet from the shower. I tried to pull down my shorts a little bit, wishing they were longer. Suddenly I felt what seemed like hands push against my back. I pitched forward, my balance completely gone. My hands flailed, trying to find something to stop my fall. But the railing of the staircase was out of my reach. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to be ready for the pain that was coming.

The pain never came. A pair of strong hands gripped my arms, and I fell into someone. I opened my eyes carefully and met Jack's gaze. He looked worried.

"What happened, Chloe? Are you okay?" I nodded and smiled gratefully at him. Jack glanced around behind me suspiciously. Finally he looked at me again.

"You didn't fall on your own, did you?" He might have worded it as a question, but the way he said it made it obvious that he knew that I hadn't.

"I d-don't know what it was. But it f-felt like someone p-pushed me." I struggled to control my stutter as the nerves twisted my stomach into knots. Who had pushed me? And why had they done it?

"Chloe?" I heard Derek's voice ask. I jumped, suddenly coming out of my internal rant. I looked over and saw him standing at the bottom of the staircase, glancing from me to Jack and back again. I moved out of Jack's arms-I hadn't realized he was still holding on to me- and walked over to Derek. I smiled at him, trying to seem nonchalant. I didn't want him worrying about my almost accident. Not if I could figure it out on my own.

"What's going on?" He asked. I glanced back at Jack, silently asking him not to tell Derek about my staircase mishap. He pursed his lips, but didn't say anything. I gave him a quick smile and looked back at Derek.

"Nothing of interest. At least not that I know of." I replied, relieved my stutter didn't make an appearance. Derek continued to stare at me for another moment before nodding slowly. Derek glanced at Jack and then back to me, his expression becoming cautious.

"Dad wanted to talk to you about your aunt." He told me quietly. I took a deep breath and nodded, fear twisting in my stomach.

"Do you want me to come with you, Chloe?" Jack asked behind me. Derek stiffened and gave Jack a death glare. I frowned at him before turning to Jack and shaking my head.

"No thanks. I can handle it." I smiled gratefully at him. He nodded, smiling back at me. Suddenly I felt Derek grab my arm. I whipped my head around to look around at him, confused. His mouth was set in an angry line.

"I need to talk to you. Now." His voice made me frown. He sounded pissed off. I let him lead me away from Jack down the hallway. I nearly ran into him when he stopped.

"Sorry." I mumbled, averting my gaze to my feet when I saw the look on his face. Was he really that angry about me running into him?

"Chloe, you need to be more careful." He scolded me. I frowned and looked at him. How had he figured out about my almost fall?

"W-what do you m-mean?" I asked, trying to pretend I was oblivious. He clearly didn't buy my act. I blamed it on the stutter.

"Don't try that. How much do you even know about him? Do you even know his last name?" He pressed.

"I-wait, what? Jack? Oh! Um no, I don't know his last name. But I trust him." I replied. He gave me a weird look, shaking his head.

"Chloe, you can't just-"

"Can't what, Derek? Can't make decisions for myself?" I snapped, anger bubbling up inside of me. He sighed, frustrated, and pinched the bridge of his nose. I turned around and started walking away from him, intending to go back to my room. But I hadn't even made it a step before I felt Derek's hand on my shoulder.

"Dammit, Chloe, I'm sorry. It's the m-"

"I know, I know. It's the mate thing. But you really need to stop treating me like some little girl who can't do anything for herself." I sighed, a little frustrated with myself for getting so angry. I was about to open my mouth to apologize for my outburst when I heard footsteps coming toward us. I looked over to see Kit walking toward us. He looked worried.

"Dad? What's going on?" Derek asked. Kit pursed his lips and looked at me before replying.

"Your aunt came earlier than we thought. She just pulled into the driveway." He told me, making my stomach drop.

**Dun dun dun! Sorry, another cliffhanger. I seem to be developing somewhat of an addiction to that, but I'm working on it. The next chapter is going to be super interesting (in my opinion, at least)! And reviews make me write faster! That's a hint for you to review if you want me to update quickly. PLEASE do it, it doesn't take long **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers. But I wish I did, which is probably why I'm writing a fanfic about it haha**

**FINALLY! I finished the next chapter and I am super excited. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate every review I get . Anyway, I hope you like it.**

"W-we're gonna t-talk with h-her, right? C-convince her not to t-take me away?" I asked, suddenly panicked. Were they just going to let Aunt Lauren take me away from them?

"Of course we are. Right dad?" Derek growled. Kit shifted uneasily and nodded slowly. His nervousness made me even more worried. None of us moved, standing stiffly as we listened to my aunt come inside, her voice brisk when she was greeted by Mary.

"Where's Chloe?" I heard her ask. Derek finally moved, coming to stand next to me. He entwined our fingers, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I could tell he was struggling to keep his composure even as he attempted to calm me down. My throat closed up tighter and tighter with each click of Aunt Lauren's shoes as she walked toward us. Finally I saw her, and I forgot why she was here in the first place. The only thing I processed in my mind was that she was my family, and that I missed her. I smile lit up my face and I took a step toward her. I glanced back at Derek, trying to tell him silently what I was feeling. He nodded slightly and let my hand go, glancing suspiciously at my aunt. I ran over to her, hugging her tight. She stumbled back, surprised. But she quickly recovered and hugged me back.

"I missed you, Chloe. Don't worry, you're going to be alright now. I'm going to take you with me." She murmured into my hair. I stiffened and pulled back, shaking my head.

"No. I'm s-staying here. I'm safe here." I told her. She frowned and narrowed her eyes behind me, probably at Derek. I stepped away from Aunt Lauren and she looked back at me.

"You don't have a choice, sweetheart. I'm family; I have the right to take you with me." Despite the kind tone of her voice, her words scared me.

"No you d-don't. You gave that r-right up when you l-left me." I shot back, surprised at my calm voice. Aunt Lauren paused, a huge frown on her face. Finally she shook her head.

"I have more right to take care of you than these people. Now go pack; we're leaving." She said with a tone of finality. Someone behind us cleared their throat. I looked back and saw Kit stepping forward. Derek was holding onto a doorway, his knuckles white and his face outraged. It looked like he was holding himself back.

"Lauren, I think we should talk about this." Kit's voice was timid. Aunt Lauren sighed and shrugged.

"Fine. We'll talk. But while we talk, you are going to go pack your things." She looked at me. I bit my lip and nodded, hoping and praying that Kit could talk her out of this. I walked slowly toward my room. But once I turned the corner, there was suddenly a pressure on my neck, pushing me against the wall. The invisible force lifted me up off the floor, my air flow gone. I struggled against whatever was holding me there, but it was useless. And I didn't have air to scream with. I tried to kick against the wall to make some sort of noise, but nothing happened no matter how hard I kicked it. I was panicking, and my mind was screaming _Figure something out or you're gonna die, you idiot!_

My vision was getting blurry, but I could finally see what was strangling me. Or who, I guess. A boy with silverish blonde hair and black holes as eyes. He smirked at me.

"Finally. I'll have someone to stay here with me. Even if it is just a scared little necromancer." His voice sounded far away. I realized that I was losing consciousness. Suddenly the pressure disappeared and I dropped to the floor with a thud. I gasped and coughed, trying to get air to my lungs. I still couldn't see anything.

"Chloe? Are you ok?" I heard a voice ask. It took me a minute before I could remember who that voice belonged to. Jack. Jack was asking me if I was okay. I nodded, still not able to speak. I continued taking big breaths, trying to get my heart rate back to normal. I shook my head once, trying to clear my mind, and looked around. My vision was finally returning. Jack was crouching in front of me, looking worried. Aunt Lauren and Kit were standing behind him, looking horrified.

I heard heavy footsteps running down the hall and I looked over to see Derek, looking furious and scared out of his mind at the same time. He saw me on the floor, still kind of gasping for air. His eyes widened and he ran over to me, pulling me onto his lap.

"Dammit! I am so sorry Chloe. Dad told me to go find Macy and I couldn't find her so I went to look outside and then I felt this…this awful feeling and somehow I knew I needed to get to you and I just-"

"Its fine, Derek." I shushed him, my voice sounding awful from the damage that ghost boy had inflicted. I tried to clear my throat, wincing at the pain.

"And who are you, young man?" Aunt Lauren asked. I looked over at Jack, who was still crouching in front of me.

"Um. I'm Jack. Chloe saved me from a safe house and brought me here." Jack replied, glancing at me for a moment. Aunt Lauren smiled at him.

"Well it seems to me like you just saved my niece. That must make you even." Her voice was warm, like she automatically approved of him because he had saved me. That pissed me off. She was such a hypocrite.

"Um, Jack. How did you save her? If it was a ghost, then how could you stop it?" Kit asked, curious. I would have been curious too, if I hadn't been so ticked off at my aunt.

"I dunno. I just felt his energy and I made it go away. Then he stopped- well, you know." Jack explained. Kit nodded.

"Well, thank you very much for saving her. If you ever need anything-"

"Are you serious?" I asked, making my voice as loud as I could without it hurting too much. Everyone looked at me shocked.

"Aunt Lauren, I c-cannot believe you're being such a h-hypocrite! Jack saves my l-life like once and you immediately think he's the b-best thing since toast," Jack almost hid his smile at my reference to toast, but I ignored him and continued, "But you h-hate Derek even though he's s-saved me more times than I can count."

"Chloe, don't. It's fine." Derek murmured in my ear. I shook my head, climbing out of his lap and standing up. I stumbled forward and started to fall, but Derek caught me before I could fall, putting me upright.

"Chloe, sweetheart. You need to understand. Derek is da-"

"Derek isn't dangerous, Aunt L-Lauren!" I hissed at her. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She mumbled something under her breath.

"I was really hoping that I could just take you and leave. But that option seems to be no longer available. I really am sorry about this, Chloe." Aunt Lauren sounded resigned. I frowned, confused by her ominous words.

"Aunt Lauren, w-what are you talking about?" I asked cautiously. She didn't reply, only looking behind her. Suddenly four figures appeared behind her. Two of them were men I had never seen before. There were holding the other two people at gunpoint. And the sight of those two people made my heart dropped through the floor. Max and Macy. I gasped and tried to run to them, but Aunt Lauren grabbed my arm, stopping me. Derek growled behind me.

"W-Why are you d-doing this, Aunt Lauren?" I asked, glaring at her. She sighed and glanced over at Max and Macy before looking back at me.

"I need you to leave with me, no matter what I have to do to get you to agree. So I'm using them as leverage. If anyone tries to stop Chloe from leaving with me, I'll shoot them." She explained calmly, as if everything was perfectly fine. My mind was racing, trying to figure out how to save Max and Macy.

"Chloe? What's going on?" I heard a voice ask. I gasped and a smile lit up my face. Liz could help. I subtly nodded toward Max and Macy. She frowned at them and nodded, walking over to them. I glanced at my aunt to see if she had figured out what was going on. Her still calm expression gave me all the answer I needed.

"What is this?" Liz exclaimed. I whipped my head back around to look at her. She was slamming her hand against the air, her arm stopping suddenly, as if there was a force field. I frowned. The man holding Macy straightened suddenly and looked at where Liz was. He smirked.

"You can't get through, stupid ghost." His voice was smug. Aunt Lauren looked down at me and smiled sadly.

"I know you, Chloe. I figured you would try something like that. But now we need to leave. C'mon, honey." She told me, gently pulling me toward the front door. I glanced back at Derek, panicked. But there was nothing any of us could do without someone getting hurt. Or killed.

Derek took a step toward me. Aunt Lauren turned and shook her head at him. Her hand tightened on my arm.

"Unless you want to be responsible for two children's deaths, I would stop following us, Derek." She warned. Derek froze and glanced at Max and Macy. My aunt continued pulling me down the hallway to the door. My throat closed up and I looked at Derek. He was watching me with a tortured expression on his face.

_No. This is wrong. This cannot be happening,_ I thought to myself. But it was happening. And as Aunt Lauren pulled me outside and shut the door, I knew that Derek wasn't going to be able to save me from this. Right before she actually shut the door, I got a look at Derek's face. It broke my heart.

Before I had a chance to break down and start sobbing like I wanted to, Aunt Lauren pulled me toward the car. I stumbled when I saw two people already sitting inside. It was me. Me and Aunt Lauren. I gasped and looked at my real aunt, confused.

"Just to make sure that no one tries to come take you away from me." She explained vaguely. I frowned. She pulled me past that car and down the driveway a bit to another car. I climbed into the passenger seat and stared at the other car, still trying to figure out what was going on. Aunt Lauren hurried into the driver's seat and started the car. She put the car in reverse and backed up to the edge of the driveway. She idled there, waiting for something.

Suddenly two men came running toward us. It was the two men who had been holding guns to Max and Macy's heads. They slid into the backseat. Still, we did not move.

"What-" I was cut off by an explosion. The car, the one fake me and Aunt Lauren were in, had just blown up. I screamed involuntarily, shrinking back into the seat.

"T-there were p-people in there! We-we were in t-there." I stuttered, pointing at the now burning car. Aunt Lauren shook her head.

"Don't worry. No one was in there. Victor put our projections there to make them think we were in the car." She told me. I frowned, not making the connection. Finally I got it.

"You want them to think we're d-dead." My voice fell to a whisper.

**Ahh! I'm sorry it's another cliffhanger. And there are probably several questions running through your mind like who the boy who tried to kill Chloe is, what's going to happen next, and why the sky is blue. Haha well maybe not the last one, but still. Review this chapter PLEASE! I like reviews. **


	7. Chapter 7

** Me: Aw, come on Derek. Please?**

**Derek: No. You suck. You made me depressed by taking my mate away from me, and you're not even the author of the Darkest Powers series. **

**Me: -_- Well ok. **

**Yay! Next chapter! Thanks for all the reviews everyone! So I did this chapter in Derek's point of view for ****hawaiiangrl. I'm glad you suggested it, because it was actually pretty fun for me to write. I tried to stay as in character as I could, but if you think it's too OOC, I apologize. Anyway, hope you like it **

Derek POV

I heard noises. I absently realized that they were voices, but I didn't care enough to figure out what they were saying. I didn't care about those people. I didn't care about myself. There wasn't a point. Chloe was gone. She was gone, and she wasn't coming back.

I jumped a little when someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I almost cared enough to wonder why I had jumped; I wasn't usually skittish. Not like Chloe.

I looked over and saw my dad, looking at me with tears in his eyes. His mouth was moving, and I realized that he was talking to me. I struggled to focus.

"-hear me? Derek, are-are you okay?" He asked. I stared at him for a moment, not reacting. Had he really just asked me if I was _okay_? My mate had just…she had been taken away from me forever, and he asked me if I was okay? What a stupid question.

Dad must have realized his mistake, because he made a face and mumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Derek. So, so sorry." He mumbled, taking a deep breath and glancing out the window where Mary, Jack, and Chase were running out to the still burning car. Something snapped inside of me and I pushed past dad through the front door. I needed to find her. My thoughts were too scrambled to realize that the last thing I probably wanted to see was Chloe in that wreck of a car. Immediately the stench of smoke and burning rubber and metal reached my nose. I ignored it, catching up to Jack, Chase, and Mary.

_Something's not right, _my inner wolf growled. If my heart hadn't just been ripped out, I would have laughed at how obvious that statement was. Of course something wasn't right. Chloe was gone. I would never see her again, or hear her voice, or feel her skin on mine, or-

_Shut it, boy. That isn't what I meant. Can't you tell? Chloe's not-_

"Shut up. I don't want to talk to you." I snarled. I didn't realize I had spoken aloud until Chase looked at me weirdly. But frankly, I didn't care what Chase thought. I took a step closer to the burning car, staring hard at it as if Chloe would magically come out of it, unharmed. The worst part of the hope was that my heart shattered again when I acknowledged that she wouldn't be coming out.

I was vaguely aware that I had stumbled back, actual tears threatening to pour over. I ran my hardest back to the house, not even noticing the people calling my name, telling me to stop. I bounded up the stairs toward my room.

I accidentally glanced at the door to Chloe's room and my steps faltered. Her scent was still strong, permeating the hallway. I felt a tear trail down my face and shook my head, quickly wiping it off with my hand. I scrambled to my room and slammed the door shut. In the back of my mind I realized that this was Simon's room too; he would be coming in here eventually. But I didn't really have anywhere else to go to be sure that I would be alone.

Sometime later, Simon did come in, watching me cautiously. But I was staring at my Physics 3 textbook, reading the words and not really processing them. I needed something to occupy my attention. I ignored his presence completely, keeping my focus inward.

'One way to make an indirect measurement of a rigid body moment of inertia _I_ is to measure the period _T_ of a torsional pendulum…' I read on the page, but all I was thinking about was that Chloe would have no idea what it meant. And the adorable blush she got when she was embarrassed or frustrated. She would be blushing bright red then, not understanding the paragraph at all.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I sighed, not liking that I kept getting so startled, and looked up. Simon was gazing down at me, worry and pain clear on his face. I silently waited for him to say something. But when he didn't talk for a minute, I looked back down at my textbook.

"Derek. Look at me." Simon's voice was rough, as if he had been crying. I glanced up slowly, keeping my face guarded.

"She wouldn't want you to be doing this, you know. Holing up in your room, reading your nerd books." Simon's attempt to call my textbooks 'nerd books' like Chloe used to fell flat. I continued staring at him. He had no possible way of knowing what was going on with me. But fine; if he really wanted me to get out of my room, I would. I grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt, pushing past Simon to the door.

"Bro? Where are you going?" He asked. I paused a moment and looked back at him. He hadn't moved. His expression was wary, as if he thought I was going to go do something stupid. I sighed. He wanted me to get out of my room but he didn't want me to do anything? I just couldn't win with him.

"I'm just going to go for a run." I didn't care if my voice was harsh. I didn't even really notice the slightly hurt look on Simon's face. Simon opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly one of my shirts hit me in the face. I frowned and pulled it off, glancing around the room. Unless Simon had somehow thrown it at me with his powers, it had to have been a ghost, poltergeist, or half-demon because there was no one else in the room.

"What was th-"

"Hold on a sec." I mumbled to him before looking around the room again, waiting for something else to happen. Anything else. Whatever it was, it probably didn't show up just to throw a shirt at my head. After a minute, the chair at my desk moved, scraping on the floor. I walked over to it and stared down at the chair, confused. Then my laptop lit up, opening a Word document. The cursor blinked at me.

"Hello?" I asked cautiously. At first nothing happened. But then there was a letter on the screen. 'H'. A moment later and there was another letter, spelling 'Hi'. I hesitated, staring at the screen and wondering what I was supposed to do now.

"Um, what are you doing here?" I asked in an unsure voice. It took a minute before the reply came. 'Couldn't reach Macy. Not powerful enough'. Those words made my stomach drop. There was only one person I could think of who would know Macy and need to use her to contact me.

"C-Chloe?" My voice was quiet and it broke on the last syllable of her name. There was no reply for a minute, and my heart twisted. Funny, I didn't even realize my heart was still there.

Finally, there was an answer. 'No. Liz.' I let out a huge breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding. It was Liz, not Chloe. But what did that mean?

"Why-why are you contacting me?" I wasn't going to let myself hope. I waited for Liz's answer, shifting from one foot to the other. 'Chloe needs ur help. Lauren has her'. I stared at those words for at least five minutes before I fully processed them. Chloe was alive. She was _alive_, and I was going to save her. My heart, which was thankfully still intact, lifted and I fought back a smile. I had to focus on saving her first.

"Where is she?" I asked, ready to run out of the room and find her.

**Hope you liked this chapter. I have something in mind for the next chapter, but suggestions are always welcome . I really appreciate reviews. It's not hard to do, so please review. Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers series. Which is sad. But I'll get over it. All I need is a huge container of ice cream. And possibly a hug or two. ^_^**

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Reviews make me happy! Even though I'm a jerk cuz I took so long to update. Sorry about that. But I'm doing it now. Hope you enjoy it **

"Um, Derek? Maybe you should think about what you're going to do before you go gallivanting off after her." Simon suggested from behind me. I ignored him, waiting for Liz's reply. 'Safe house u saved her from b4. In basement.' I nodded and stepped back from my computer, glancing around for anything I might have to take.

"Derek. We need to figure out what we're going to do, not just run in there." Simon tried to tell me. I shook my head.

"There is no 'we'. I'm going to go get her by myself." Only half of my attention was on Simon and our conversation; I was still figuring out my exact plan to save Chloe. Suddenly I was hit in the face with another one of my t-shirts. I pulled it off my head and frowned, looking back at the computer. What did Liz want?

'Idiot. Chloe told me not to let u go alone. She'd kill u' it read. I sighed and glanced at Simon, who was smiling triumphantly.

"Fine. We'll go tell Dad and figure out what we're going to do." I told Simon. He nodded and hurried out the door. I began following him, but paused and looked back at the computer.

"Thanks, Liz. And tell Chloe that I'm coming." The computer screen went black and I walked out the door, assuming that meant that Liz had left to talk to Chloe. I walked down to where Simon, Dad, and everyone else were discussing a plan to save Chloe.

"I'm going to save you, Chloe. I promise." I promised quietly.

**Chloe POV**

After we had gotten to the safe house, Aunt Lauren had taken me down to the basement and they had given me something. Something that fogged my mind so much that I kept floating in and out of awareness. I only knew how long I had been there because Liz told me during one of my periods of consciousness. For one day and fourteen hours I had been lost in the fog, and no matter how hard I tried, I could only keep it away for about five minutes before someone came in and injected me with something.

I had just pushed through the fog when Liz popped up in my room. Her mouth was moving and I realized that she was talking. I rubbed my temples, trying to concentrate on the words she was saying.

"-even listening to me?" She asked.

"Sorry. My mind's still a little cloudy. What were you saying?" I kept my voice quiet, although I knew it was pointless. The little camera in the corner of my room would alert them that I was awake.

"I couldn't get through to Macy. But I did give Derek your message." She told me. I frowned at her.

"How did you give him my message if you couldn't contact Macy?" I asked. During the short pause before she replied, I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I was almost out of time. Liz seemed to notice too.

"I'll explain later. But he told me to tell you that he's coming for you. And I made sure that he wouldn't come alone." Her voice was hurried. I nodded and was about to thank her when the door opened and Aunt Lauren walked in with Marshall, the man who would give me the shots. I glared at both of them, glancing quickly at Liz and trying to give her a silent thank you. She nodded and gave me a reassuring smile before disappearing. I looked back at my aunt and Marshall, warily eyeing the needle in Marshall's hands.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Aunt Lauren asked me, her voice warm and caring. I bit back my retort, realizing that calling her an evil, hypocritical bitch wouldn't help my situation at all. I had stopped wondering where all my anger had been coming from; I figured it was the mate bond. Thinking about the whole 'mate' thing was making me miss Derek more. I knew that Liz had told me he was coming, but I wished he would hurry.

"Chloe? Are you okay?" My aunt's voice brought me out of my thoughts. I didn't answer her, only trying to pin her to the floor with a glare. She sighed and nodded to Marshall.

"One of these days you will realize that I'm helping you." She informed me. I snorted and shook my head at her. Marshall grabbed my arm and injected me with the needle. I could feel the drug working its way through my system. My vision was starting to get a little hazy. Marshall pulled away and walked over to Aunt Lauren. He opened his mouth, as if he was going to whisper something, but the voice that sounded was not quiet. It was a scream of pain. Aunt Lauren and Marshall jumped and whirled around to face the door. My brain was still aware enough to hear footsteps running down the hall. I vaguely felt a spark of hope, thinking it was Derek. But I wasn't able to do anything, the fog was paralyzing me. It was coming in faster now, trying to drag me into unconsciousness. I struggled to keep my eyes open.

"Marshall! Take care of it!" My aunt's voice was muted, as if someone had put cotton in my ears. Before either of the figures-I couldn't distinguish which one was which-could move, the door burst open. If it was anyone else, I would've had no idea who it was. But somehow I just _knew_ it was him. One of the other figures jumped toward him and then there was a blur of action. I tried to keep up, but my mind was too sluggish. My eyes slipped closed.

Suddenly, I felt someone take my hand. I mustered up all the energy that I could to open my eyes, but they stayed shut. I thought I heard the person say something before the fog claimed me again.

I slowly came back into awareness, groggy and still tired. I opened my eyes and groaned, my head pounding. At least there wasn't light in the room trying to blind me. I pulled myself into sitting position and glanced around, taking in my surroundings. I was in a bed in a room that seemed very familiar. But my mind was still too clouded for me to remember.

Suddenly a boy who looked a year or two younger than me with red hair and green eyes walked past the doorway and paused, glancing over at me. Realizing that I was awake he squeaked and ran over to me, a huge smile on his face. With that smile I realized that I knew this boy.

"Hi Max." I cleared my throat and smiled.

"Ohmygosh Chloe! We were _so_ worried about you. Are you okay?" He was talking so quickly that I had to concentrate to keep up with what he was saying. He ran over to me and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. When he pulled back I glanced around the room for a moment before looking back at Max.

"I'm fine, Max. What happened?" I asked. He was about to answer when we heard a shriek come from the hallway outside the room. I flinched at the sound.

"Calm yourself, wolf boy! What are you- Hey! Don't walk away from me!" I heard Tori's voice yell. But there was no reply. Suddenly someone was standing in the doorway, his eyes searching for something and landing on me. I swear my heart stopped for a moment. Max cleared his throat awkwardly. I glanced over at him and smiled apologetically.

"I'll just…go find Macy or something." Max mumbled, taking a step toward the door. I automatically shook my head. I didn't want to kick him out of the room.

"Max, you don't have to-"

"I think I saw her downstairs. You should look there." Derek interrupted me. I frowned at him, but immediately understood when I saw the look in his eyes. Max nodded and hurried out the door, waving at me before he left. Derek walked in, but stayed several feet away. I heard Max stop Tori in the hallway.

"Tori, I wouldn't go in there if I were you. Derek and Chloe are-"

"Okay, ew! I don't want the details! Just shut the door so no one else might see them groping each other." Tori squealed, making gagging noises.

"Tori! We're not d-doing anything!" I told her, blushing bright red. Suddenly Tori appeared in the doorway. She let out a huge breath of relief and gave me a small quick smile. Then she glanced from me to Derek and took a step away.

"I can feel it coming. In a minute he'll be all over you like-"

"Tori!" I squeaked. She smirked and shut the door. I stared at my hands and tried to calm down the blush on my face. I felt the mattress dip by my feet as Derek sat down. I glanced at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He was slumped over with his face hidden in his hands. I frowned and shifted around on the bed so that I was sitting on my hands and knees next to him. He didn't move. I tentatively placed my hand on his shoulder. He flinched and looked over at me.

"A-are you okay?" I asked quietly. He snorted and shrugged.

"I bruised a few ribs fighting one of the guards-"

"Well I hope that they don't hurt too badly. But we both know that's not what I meant. Are you okay, Derek?" He let out a shaky breath but didn't reply. I knew how worried he must have been. I cautiously wrapped my arms around his waist and put my chin on his shoulder. He was very tense. I sighed.

"Derek, I'm fine. I'm right here, with you." I murmured. He gently leaned his head against mine and inhaled deeply.

"Chloe, I-I'm sorry that I let this happen to you." I pulled away and frowned at him. He looked back at me, his face solemn.

"Derek, you couldn't have stopped it. But you saved me. You risked your life and your family's safety just to come save _me._" I told him. He shook his head at me and pulled me over to sit on his lap.

"Don't say that like you didn't deserve it. I will always protect you, no matter what I have to do." He pressed his face into my hair.

"Just don't get yourself hurt, okay?" I asked quietly. He didn't answer. I stiffened and pulled away from him. He sighed.

"Look, it doesn't matter what happens to me. If you're in-"

"No. You don't get to do that, Derek. You can't just be all self-sacrificing like that. This mate thing is a two-way street. I'm not going to sit by and let your get yourself hurt. If you had died…" I trailed off, noticing Derek wince. It took me a moment before I realized that he had been through that already. He had thought I was dead. I sighed and gently pushed his hair out of his face. He gazed at the floor, his mind far away.

"I'm sorry, Derek. I'm sorry you had to go through that. But I don't want to be one of those girls who lets others suffer for her. I can't be that girl; I wouldn't be able to handle the guilt." I mumbled to him. His gaze jumped up to meet mine.

"Chloe, I can't just-"

"I know. But at least think about your safety before you go chasing after me." I interrupted him. He sighed and gave a small, stiff nod of his head. I smiled at him before leaning back to take in his appearance. He looked tired and stressed, but his green eyes were still watching me with that intensity that could send shivers up my spine.

"I am really glad that you're okay, Derek." I told him quietly before pressing my lips to his. He didn't react at first, his shoulders staying tense. But then he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer against him. My arms went around his neck; teasing the hair at the back of his neck and making him shiver. When we broke apart to take a breath, Derek continued kissing me, pressing his lips to my jaw, my neck, my collarbone. I arched back against him, running my hands down his neck to trace his chest through his shirt. He emitted a low growl and began running his hands all over me, as if he was trying to memorize it.

"Ha! I told you that I saw it coming!" I heard Tori shout from the doorway. I jumped and glanced over at her. And then realized that she wasn't alone. Derek sighed with frustration and pressed his face into my neck. I blushed bright red and tried to untangle myself from Derek. His arms tightened around me.

"Um, h-h-hi Kit. W-what do y-you n-need?" I struggled to keep my breathing even. Kit glanced pointedly at Derek. I nudged him gently. He looked over at his father and sighed.

"What is it, dad?" He asked, voice rough. He still didn't move or loosen his arms around me.

"Well. Um, well, we need to talk." Kit replied. Derek nodded and pulled me off of his lap, standing up. But he still didn't let me go; instead wrapping an arm around my waist and keeping me close to his side. Kit frowned.

"I sort of meant that you and I need to talk al-"

"I'm not letting Chloe out of my sight. You either say what you have to say with her there or you won't be having a conversation with me." Derek's voice was deadly serious. I glanced up at him sharply; he shouldn't talk to his father like that. But Kit sighed and nodded, as if in understanding.

"Fine, fine. I guess it affects her too." He surrendered. Kit then glanced at Tori, who was standing next to him with an amused expression. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, ok. I see that I'm not included in this special conversation. So I'll be downstairs." She tossed a smirk over her shoulder as she walked away. I looked back over at Kit.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Derek asked, a trace of irritation still in his voice. Kit sighed.

"Well, it's about your mate bond." He told us vaguely. I quickly glanced up at Derek to see his reaction. He didn't seem to know what Kit was talking about either. We both waited for him to continue.

"Well, next week marks the beginning of-well, it's the beginning of mating season." Kit explained.

**I am so sorry it took me so long to do this. But I hope you like the chapter Anyways, I have a question for all of you. Do you guys have any requests for stories or songfics or anything? I have a couple of requests, and I'm working on them. But if you guys want me to write something in particular, just let me know. And as always, REVIEW PLEASE!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers. *sigh***

**Hiii! I AM SO SORRY! I've been trying to work on the story, but it's taken me so long for two reasons:**

**1. I've been having a little writer's block. **

**2. Even though school has ended, I've been super busy. First, I went out of town to go see the One Direction concert (which was AMAZING), and then I've had rehearsal every day. But you've probably stopped reading because you don't care.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!**

Derek stiffened and stepped away from me. I frowned and tried to ignore the pain that flashed through me at his sudden rejection. I kept my eyes on Kit.

"Wh-what does that m-mean?" I asked him. He sighed and glanced at Derek, not answering me. I huffed in annoyance. Fine. If they didn't want to tell me what was going on, then I wasn't needed in the conversation. I began to walk away and made it about three steps before and hand clamped onto my arm. I sighed and looked back at Derek.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I was part of this conversation." I muttered sarcastically. I ignored the flash of guilt that appeared on Derek's face. After a moment of hesitation, he let out an exasperated breath.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just- I don't want to freak you out with all this." He mumbled. I frowned, immediately feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry for acting like such a jerk. It's just-whatever is going on with this mate thing affects me too. I have a right to know. Especially if I have to explain it to Aunt Lauren..." I trailed off, noticing the strange look that crossed Derek's face once I said my aunt's name. I shifted uncomfortably, suddenly worried about where the conversation was about to go.

"W-what's wrong? Where's m-my aunt?" I stuttered, afraid that I didn't want to know the answer.

"Um, well...I-"Derek stopped abruptly, glancing behind him. My throat was dry and my stomach was in knots. I would have been angry at Derek's refusal to answer me if I wasn't so worried about what his answer was. Kit cleared his throat and walked over to us. He looked to Derek first.

"Why don't you go one downstairs and I'll come down in a little while so we can talk." He murmured. Derek glanced at me, pain and guilt covering his face. He nodded slightly and hurried away. My stomach dropped; this situation did not seem good at all. Kit gave me a small smile and led me to my room. He sat me down on my bed. I looked up at him worriedly. What was going on?

"Chloe, I need you to let me explain all of this before you...do or say anything you might regret." He told me quietly. I nodded slowly, still not understanding. Kit sighed and sat down on the bed next to me.

"When we came to save you from the safe house, Lauren tried her hardest to keep you away from us. Derek-well, he was the one to find you down in the basement. Your aunt was with you, along with another man. Both of them tried to stop Derek from taking you. Derek went a little crazy. This mate bond that you two have, it makes you very protective of each other. But because he is a werewolf, his instinct to protect you is much stronger. The wolf side of Derek pretty much took over when Lauren and the other man tried to keep you from him. He had no control over what he did. And well...when your aunt tried to stop Derek, he-he shoved her away. He didn't realize how hard he had shoved her, but-well you know the story of what happened to the boy in Albany when Simon was in trouble, right?" He explained.

"Yeah, I k-know the s-story. So my-my aunt is p-paralyzed?" I asked in a small voice. Kit's mouth tightened for a moment before shaking his head.

"She-Chloe, your Aunt Lauren is dead." Kit told me. The words rang in my ears. _Your Aunt Lauren is dead._ My breath caught in my throat. No. That can't be right. I shook my head fiercely, my eyes watering. I felt his hand touch my shoulder and I flinched away.

"No!" I screamed at him. He frowned and glanced at the doorway. I took his moment of distraction to scramble of the bed away from him, nearly face-planting in the process. Kit looked over at me worriedly.

"Chloe-"

"No! Stop lying to me!" I yelled at him. He hesitated and shifted toward the door. I slid down the wall I had been leaning on until I was sitting on the ground. I stared at the ground, not processing anything, only repeating the words 'Aunt Lauren is dead' in my mind. It was a wrong, awful statement. It couldn't be true. I vaguely heard Kit leave the room, mumbling something on the way out. I didn't care enough to really hear what it was.

No matter what I tried to do to convince myself that Kit was lying, nothing made sense. But if he wasn't lying, then the awful words he had said must have been true. My heart twisted painfully in my chest and I lost my breath. I closed my eyes tight, trying uselessly to stop the tears from running down my face. The only family that I really had was gone. My dad didn't count, since I probably wasn't ever going to see him again. My family was gone.

Sometime later, I heard someone walk into the room. I lifted my gaze to see Tori frowning at me. I wiped at my face and struggled to stand up. It took me a few tries, but I eventually stood up and walked over to my bed. I sat down on my bed and struggled to stay upright. Tori continued to frown at me.

"What?" I asked, my voice rough and scratchy. Tori's frown deepened and she moved to sit next to me. She didn't say anything for a minute.

"Look, I know I'm going to sound like a total bitch, but don't be so upset over your aunt. She was mean and awful to you, and she even kidnapped you. And don't talk about how you lost all your family, because you have us. Me and wolf boy and Mr. Bae and Simon. All of us." Her voice was quiet. A weird feeling came over me when she mentioned Derek, but I had no idea what it was. I didn't reply. She sighed.

"Chloe, I know how it feels to lose the only family you have. It sucks. But you can't let it take over your life. You just have to pick yourself up and keep going." She mumbled. I frowned and looked at her. She still had family; she had Kit and Simon.

"But you-didn't Kit tell you?" I asked her. She shook her head slowly, tensing slightly.

"Tell me what?" I bit my lip and stared at the ground. I was going to let Kit give her that news.

"I think you should go talk to Kit." I told her, still looking at the ground. She didn't move for a minute, as if deciding whether or not to go ask him now. Finally she sighed and stood up.

"I'll be right back. Just-just think about what I said while I'm gone." With that she walked out the door. I wasn't worried about her coming back; she would be too distracted with the news Kit was about to give her. But Tori was right that I couldn't just let this pain take me over. I knew she was right, but it was still incredibly hard to actually follow through.

Suddenly I heard a knock and looked up. Macy was leaning against my doorway, a cautious smile on her face. I forced a small smile onto my face.

"Chloe, I'm sorry about what happened. When my mom died, I was a wreck. Dad signed me up for all sorts of clubs and activities, tried to keep my mind distracted from the pain. It helped a lot." She told me. I nodded slightly, pulling at a loose thread on my shirt. Macy walked over to me, stopping a few feet away.

"Mary wanted me to cook dinner for tonight. Do you want to help?" She asked tentatively. I gave her a less forced smile and nodded. I followed her out the doorway, but paused in the hall.

"Just so you know, I'm not the best cook." I informed Macy. She paused and looked at me over her shoulder, smiling.

"I've been told. Don't worry about it; I'll do most of the actual cooking." I almost laughed. Almost. I followed Macy down to the kitchen.

"I was thinking we'd do something easy. And everyone loves spaghetti. Could you get the ground beef out of the fridge for me?" Macy asked while washing her hands. I nodded and walked over to the fridge. I pulled open the door and grabbed the ground beef. But before I closed the door, I noticed a turkey covered in plastic wrap.

"So the Thanksgiving meal never happened?" I didn't realize I had spoken aloud until Macy looked over at me. She shrugged.

"Well, considering everything that's been happening, we put it off. But the food will still be good for another day or two. We'll figure it out." She explained. I pursed my lips and nodded, giving her the ground beef.

I struggled to stay focused as we cooked dinner. My mind wanted to wander to thoughts of Aunt Lauren. But I didn't break down or let myself think of it for too long.

"Well, we have successfully cooked dinner. And nothing is burned." Macy smiled triumphantly. I nodded in agreement, smiling a bit. Suddenly I felt someone watching me. I turned around and saw Derek looking at me, his face unreadable. That weird feeling that had come over me before was back. I wasn't sure how to react. We stood there in an awkward silence. I was still trying to figure out what that feeling was.

Derek took a step closer and the feeling got stronger. I frowned. He continued to cautiously move closer, and with each step the feeling got stronger. I took a step back, away from Derek. He hesitated, hurt flashing across his face. It was quickly replaced by guilt and sorrow, and even understanding. I was confused as to why he understood when I didn't. It wasn't like I hated Derek or anything. But what was wrong?

**CLIFFHANGER! Sorry about killing her, but I always thought Lauren was kind of irritating. Well please PLEASE review! I've appreciated all the reviews so far, and I would love to keep them going. **


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